Lawsuit is settled over jail injury

LISBON -- A former Columbiana County jail inmate has settled his lawsuit with the private company that runs the jail. The last-minute settlement, whose terms weren't disclosed, was announced Tuesday just as the case was about to go to trial in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court. Joseph Tecco of Northfield sued CiviGenics Inc. in August 1999 for $25,000. Tecco alleged that the Milford, Mass.-based company was negligent in not having safety glass installed in a jail window adjacent to an area where inmates exercised. Tecco, who was incarcerated in September 1998 for a traffic offense, cut his arm when he fell into a window at the jail during an inmate football game. The wound required 80 stitches. He alleged in his lawsuit that CiviGenics failed to ensure the lockup was safe for inmates. Tecco originally named county government as a defendant, but the court ruled that the county could not be held liable in the matter. Warden Hank Escola, who runs the county jail on behalf of CiviGenics, said that he was unaware of the settlement terms. But Escola said the window that was the subject of the lawsuit and other windows like it have been covered with safety mesh to prevent similar occurrences. "We took care of the problem," he said.

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